Hypnotic & Magnetic
by ImaginationCat
Summary: Erik and Charles question their feelings for each other and themselves when they unexpectedly meet in the library of Charles' mansion. Rating may change. Erik/Charles. Don't like, don't read.
1. The Midnight Meeting

My first Charles/Erik fan fiction. I've had an itch for days to write something about them, so here's what I came up with. I'd love to know what you think. If I get any good feedback, I'll continue with it. The rating might change depending on where I go with it. Happy Reading~

Hypnotic & Magnetic

Chapter 1 – The Midnight Meeting

Thunder clapped loudly outside the mansion. Erik awoke with a start and jerked up in bed, head spinning, beads of sweat on his brow. He had never liked thunder storms; they reminded him far too much of the concentration camps those many years ago, which made him think of things he put so much effort into forgetting. Though it seemed like a long time ago, Erik could recall a time when he used to enjoy thunder. He would lay awake with his mother as she lulled him off to sleep, promising that it was nothing all to be worried about.

_Mother…_

Erik exhaled deeply. She was the reason he was here, in more than one sense. Of course, being his mother, she had bore him into this world, but it was her death, her murder, that made Erik the man he was. That event, her murderer, made Erik a monster. A killer.

Yes, Erik had killed people to get where he was. But he felt it was worth the cause. Avenging his mother was all that he needed to do now. She had been his light, his shining ray of hope for all his life, and he watched, helplessly, as she was torn from his world in a violent display of ignorance. He could still see the triumphant look on Shaw's face, beaming at him over his half-moon specials while he manipulated the metal objects in his office. He hadn't even cared that Erik murdered two soldiers as long as it meant results and progress.

And so, pain became Erik's only company from that point on. Pain was the only thing that let him know he was still alive, that he could still get the revenge that he so rightfully deserved. Killing the killer was the only way to bring himself peace.

Exasperated about being woken up, yet unable to calm himself enough to go back to sleep just yet, Erik unburdened himself of the blankets that clung to his body and sat at the edge of the bed. He ran his hands through his tousled hair and resolved to calm his nerves in the mansion's vast library. It was late, he reasoned, and nobody would be in there at this hour. Besides, he didn't want to stay in his room in bed. A bed prompted sleep, and he didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to dream.

His dreams always took him to terrible places from his past. There were so many things in Erik's head that nobody could understand. He had been through a pain so great, and was still going through it. His world was basically a living hell, and dreaming only brought down those walls he'd put up in his head to keep the memories at bay. Yet for some reason this new telepath friend of his, whose house he now found himself in, was convinced that there was something he could do to save Erik from his torment.

Erik stood up, frustrated, and made his way into the hallway and to the library. It was dark, but he didn't need to see to know where he was going. He simply felt around, sensing the metal around him (nails in the floorboard, handles on doors, and the like). It irked him to know that this young telepath, as spoiled as he was, could simply come into his life, prod around his brain (without consent, thank you very much), and declare that his problems could be solved. Erik had always been a lone wolf, and he didn't think it needed to be any other way.

What's more, Erik found himself even more irritated at the fact that he almost didn't mind the telepath wanting to help. He had some sort of charm, some grace, to him that Erik couldn't turn away from. And to think that he had elected to stay with this stranger on his own accord… Well, he was simply bewildered at the gravity with which this man seemed to pull him in. And why? Erik had no idea. These feelings, he supposed that's what they were, were all very foreign to him…

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Erik dismissed the confusing thoughts. Though he had only been in the mansion with the others a couple of days, Erik knew the basic layout of the place and found himself at the library doors in no time. He stopped in his tracks, however, and stared along the bottom of the door where a light was shining through.

With his head cocked to one side and his eyebrows creased in bemusement, Erik reached forward and slowly turned the metal doorknob without touching it. Somebody was already in there.

It had been raining most of the afternoon, and it couldn't have been any earlier than midnight when the thunder started. Charles, however, didn't take any notice as he sat in the library reading one of the many books that the library had to offer.

He always had a bad habit of wandering the house when he couldn't sleep, which was almost every night due to his insomnia, and he usually ended up in the library where he would sit and read the rest of the night away, occasionally falling asleep until morning. Tonight was no exception. Normally, being a telepath and all, his mind simply wouldn't let go of the worries from his day, or else it would be ringing with the thoughts of others as it drifted beyond his control. What was different about tonight, however, was what was keeping him up.

_Erik…_

Erik Lensherr was a very unexpected presence in Charles' life, to say the least, and the perplexity of the man intrigued Charles to no end. His mind was like a maze within a safe, which was also in a maze, wherein lay countless more safes. Charles had only scratched the surface of Erik's mind, his secrets, yet the raw emotion that he felt thus far kept him wanting more. Charles had always been one for puzzles and things of that nature, and under that context Erik was the most complex puzzle he'd ever come across.

Charles' eyes moved along the page of his book, not hesitating as he used one of his hands to pull the blanket more snuggly around himself. He smirked at the idea of thinking of Erik as an inanimate object, a puzzle to be solved. Erik was much more than that, though Charles wasn't quite sure if he knew the magnitude of what "much more" meant yet. He certainly fancied Erik for all of his complexities and his depth, but there was something else that drew Charles in.

For a moment, his mind wandered to the instance when he met Erik outside of the base in the middle of the night to stop him from leaving. Though frantic in his efforts, Charles remained calm the entire time. He had desperately wanted the man to stay with him, to accept the help he was offering, but at the same time he didn't want to force anything on him. It was always a game of balance with Erik, and a tricky game it was. It was Erik's own desperation, his drive and the similarities that the two men shared, that made Charles cling to him in the way that he did. They both had that drive, the need to be a part of something more.

Yet when Charles locked eyes with Erik that night, he sensed that there was something more between the two of them. Whether it was real or imagined, he felt that Erik wanted more than anything to stay, too. They needed each other.

Charles sighed heavily and closed the book, letting it fall into his lap. This really wasn't the time to be wondering about Erik in that sort of way, he reasoned. There was a war coming, and confused feelings would only get in the way. He blushed. _And who's to say there_ are _'feelings' anyway?_ Charles asked himself, frustrated at this unfamiliar sense of not knowing. He was used to knowing what others felt, sometimes before they knew it themselves; but he promised Erik he wouldn't read his mind like that, without permission.

He had never felt like this for anybody, not to mention another man. The thought made him a little uneasy. They thought too differently. There was no way Erik could feel this way back, not after what he had been put through all his life. Charles had seen glimpses, and it didn't seem like he'd trust anybody for a long time, if ever.

"He doesn't trust you. You barely know him," Charles spat at the empty room. His shoulders were slumped and his cheeks were flushed. Not knowing what to do was beyond maddening.

Suddenly, and to Charles' great surprise and dismay, the library door opened. Who else would be up at that ungodly hour? He knew he looked flustered beyond a doubt, and he hoped with all his might that it wasn't Raven who had come calling. Or even worse… Charles reached out to the intruder with his mind and felt a strange mixture of panic and relief flood over him.

"Good evening, Erik," Charles said quietly to the burly figure in the doorway.


	2. Promises and Secrets

Thanks everybody for all the wonderful reviews, as well as all of the favorites and follows. I really wasn't expecting such a following from this story, and I'm really happy all of you enjoyed chapter one so much. As promised, due to the overwhelming response, I've written a second chapter. I do hope it's okay and that you enjoy it as much as chapter one.

Thanks again, and happy reading!~

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><p>Hypnotic &amp; Magnetic<p>

Chapter 2 – Promises and Secrets

The door ahead of Erik opened without a sound and the light from inside flooded out into the hallway. He released his magnetic hold of the doorknob and peered inside, wondering silently who it was that was up this late aside from himself. His answer came in the form of a voice.

"Good evening, Erik," Charles' warm accent pierced the silence of the library. The corners of Erik's mouth turned up slightly, both relieved to see the familiar face and not. Of course he was glad to see Charles instead of somebody else; Charles was probably be the best option if he had to meet _somebody_ in the library since he seemed to know just how to handle every situation properly. However, he worried that the man might see something in Erik's head that would cause some tension or confusion. And Erik was already confused enough as it was without adding another variable to the equation.

"Charles," Erik nodded at Charles and slowly entered the library, as if expecting to be ambushed by something. Or someone. An entire childhood that revolved around fearing for your life could make you a bit paranoid.

Charles watched the man closely from his spot on the couch. Erik desperately wished he wouldn't; it made him uncomfortable. Having the man's blue eyes directed so intently at him just brought back the feelings he had when they first met and he found out that Charles was probing around in his head. Part of him knew better, but another part of him didn't trust the man to not go back on his word. Erik hated sharing his thoughts with others, let alone his intimate feelings and secrets. He was a wall, and this man in front of him wasn't about to break him down.

"_What do you know about me?" Erik had asked in the middle of the night outside the base, which was now a pile of rubble._

"_Everything," Charles stated simply as if it were the easiest thing in the world to grasp._

And so the wall began to crack. Erik wouldn't have shared anything in his head of his own accord, but when you're forced to do so it made a world of difference. Maybe it was because he felt blackmailed, or maybe it was because he finally found someone who wasn't afraid of who he was, but he stayed that night. And it was starting to look like one of the few decisions he wouldn't regret.

"I'm glad you stayed, too, Erik," Charles spoke from the couch. Though he was looking down at the forgotten book in his lap, Erik could make out a hint of a smile on his face as he eyed the man suspiciously.

"Stay out of my head," Erik growled in response, "You promised me you wouldn't creep around in my thoughts without my permission. Or was I wrong to think that you were a man of your word?" The barrier went right back up.

To his surprise, Charles only smiled wider. "Well, if you wouldn't think so loudly I wouldn't have to," he stated as if Erik should already know this, "It's like being accused of eavesdropping on a shouting couple."

Erik's face grew a little bit hotter, but the only physical sign that gave away his discomfort about being read so easily was that he looked away from Charles at another spot in the room. What else had the telepath overheard? And how the hell was he supposed to quiet his thinking?

"What're you doing up so late anyway?" Erik said after a few moments, sounding angrier than necessary. He was still peeved at Charles' inability to mind his own business, as he saw it, so he changed the subject.

"I've always had trouble sleeping," he said, tapping his temple with index finger, "An unfortunate side effect of a constantly busy mind." If he noticed the sudden and awkward change of subject matter he certainly didn't express it. "You know, Erik, I'm not going to bite you; you can come and sit down." The telepath moved his legs so Erik could join him on the couch where he had been laying.

Erik did so, though reluctantly. Something about this man was almost too inviting. He was too personable, too accepting, too understanding, too… Erik wished Charles would stop smiling. All of the friendliness was foreign to him and he didn't quite know how to respond to it all. Sure he was grateful for all that the man was offering and doing for him, but he didn't know how to show it. Well, he had chosen to stay with Charles, and that was a step at least.

With as much normalcy as he could muster through all of the confusion and apprehension, Erik joined Charles on the couch.

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><p>Charles was glad to see that the other man didn't simply excuse himself from the library when he discovered who it was. It was a good sign on many levels. Erik didn't seem one for polite conversation if it wasn't necessary, so seeing him stay was something Charles hadn't expected (even if he seemed hesitant about it). On another, more personal level, Charles was pleased to have the company, particularly if it was Erik's. Sitting alone in the library with nothing but his books and his thoughts could get lonely during the long nights.<p>

He couldn't help but notice Erik's thoughts, though he told the man he wouldn't read them without consent, because they were buzzing wildly and loudly beyond his control. So much anger, so much apprehension and confusion, so much doubt. Charles wished to ease his discomfort, but Erik simply wouldn't let him in and he knew that. Still, it wouldn't stop him from trying. With every fiber of his being he wished to help this man above anyone else. To see Erik happy would give him such satisfaction even if he didn't know the reason why.

As they talked, Charles smiled. He had always tried to smile a lot, to come off as a friendlier person, but around Erik it just came naturally and he honestly couldn't help it most of the time.

Three times now Erik had chosen to stay with Charles instead of head back into his solitary world in search of revenge, and Charles was eternally grateful for that. As if he had a hard enough time sleeping as it was, wondering where Erik was and what he was up to would put a constant strain on him. He had seen some of the darkest parts of Erik's mind, and he cared for this man because, for the first time since his mother was taken from him, Erik would finally have somebody who understands his pain and his past and is still willing to be there for him. Charles couldn't let him willingly walk away from that, for both of their sakes.

"You know, Erik, I'm not going to bite you; you can come and sit down," Charles said and pulled his legs closer to himself to make room for Erik, who was still looking uncertain about being there at all. All the same, he sat down in front of Charles and situated himself so that the two were facing each other.

Charles took the book from his lap and placed it on the table behind him by the lamp, the only light source on in the room. It illuminated Erik's face in front of him, reveling every crease and tick, giving away all his emotion. Not that Charles needed that to know what Erik was feeling, or his telepathy for that matter; he simply had a way with people and knowing what signs to look for. At the moment, he knew something was bothering Erik more than usual; there was a crease in his brow, less shine in his eyes, a slight tremble of his mouth every now and then that said he wanted to say something but couldn't quite do it for one reason or another.

But Charles decided not to pry.

"I've answered your question, my friend, now tell me what you're doing up so late," Charles asked. He could just as easily read the other man's mind and find out what was inconveniencing him, but he wouldn't. He made a promise to Erik on the night he stopped the man from leaving to keep out of his head.

"_Everything," Charles said. He had seen so many dark memories of Erik's that it was easy enough to assume he knew everything. In any case, he might as well know everything._

"_Keep prying and you won't like what you find in there, Charles," Erik told him ominously._

"_I'm not going anywhere, and neither should you. I'm willing to help, to understand, if you're willing to let me."_

"_Just stay out of my head, Charles! I don't need your help!" Erik glared at the man, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of anger and pain. The telepath thought he knew everything about him? Well he was in for a rude awakening. There was no way he knew everything; if he did, then the two of them wouldn't be standing here now. "Please…" Erik added after a moment, pleading, "I don't want you in my head. I don't trust you."_

_Charles eyed him for a minute before nodding. He was smiling. "Okay, Erik. You have no reason to trust me, so why should you? I get it. I won't read your mind unless you allow me to. Maybe you'll come around one of these days."_

"_Don't hold your breath," Erik scoffed._

He and Raven were the only ones he had made that promise to, and he intended on keeping that promise so long as he needed to. As long as Erik remained his friend (he did consider Erik a friend), he wouldn't intrude on the man's thoughts. After all, Charles would be devastated himself if Erik, or anyone for that matter, found out what he had been thinking about only moments before Erik showed up in the library.

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><p>Honestly, I'm not sure at all where I'm going with this story, so if anybody has a direction they'd like to see this go, or anything they'd like included, I'm more than happy to take suggestions. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	3. The Breakthrough

Once again, guys, thanks for the excellent reviews and follows and favs. I'm really happy to see this fan fic actually take off when I kind of started writing it just out of sheer boredom. And so, I present to you Erik and Charles' breakthrough chapter. Haha. Enjoy~

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><p>Hypnotic &amp; Magnetic<p>

Chapter 3 – A Breakthrough

Erik thought carefully about answering Charles' question. He could tell the truth about how poor little Erik was afraid of thunder, or rather the memories they brought back from being alone and terrified in the camps, without his mother there to comfort him. Although, he certainly wouldn't count out Charles already knowing and asking simply to play coy with him. But revealing such a trivial fear would make him come across as weak. He couldn't afford weakness. Not now. Not when he was so close to what he wanted most.

Then again he could lie to Charles. It had been a long an interesting week for him; perhaps his mind wouldn't calm down enough to let him sleep either? No. Lying to Charles would be a pretty stupid and overall embarrassing ordeal. The man who sat in front of Erik could read him like a book, whether he cared to admit it or not. Noticing subtle facial twitches and body movements was one of Charles' specialties, and no matter how well he hid what he was really feeling from everybody else Charles noticed almost one-hundred percent of the time.

It was incredibly irksome to not be able to hide your feelings from someone, especially someone like Charles who always insisted on trying to help. Though noble and kind, Erik simply didn't have the patience for it. Or rather he didn't _want_ to have the patience for those kinds of "get to know yourself" sessions. Besides, Charles was the subject matter of some thoughts he wanted to keep hidden nowadays.

"The thunder woke me up and I have some things on my mind so I can't quite relax. Figured a nice read would help me, so here I am," Erik answered finally, deciding on a happy-medium between the truth and outright lying. In true political fashion he skirted the question. He didn't really expect the subject to be closed considering the person he was talking to, and a small part of him didn't want it to be.

As Erik sat there facing a smiling, blue-eyed Charles, he began to wonder if his mistrust was truly appropriate. Sure, Charles was a stranger by normal context, but their situation wasn't exactly _normal_. Charles had seen inside of Erik, seen into some of the darkest recesses of his memories and experiences, and that had to count for something. Erik taught himself to trust no one at a young age; he lived by himself, for himself because nobody was there to ease his loneliness. But now…

"Thunder?" Charles asked, raising one of his eyebrows. It was, Erik noticed as he spent more and more time with the man, a signature look of his. "Don't mean to push the subject or anything, but might I ask what the 'things' on your mind are?" He sounded sincerely curious. So he hadn't been reading Erik's mind.

Charles had already begun helping so many people, mutants, who were also strangers to him. If they could trust Charles, why couldn't he? Because they hadn't experienced that kind of grief and fear he had. They were friends, weren't they? Yes, and being friends entailed trust.

Erik sighed heavily, weighing is decisions once more. This trust issue had to change eventually if they were going to be on this silly mutant team together. And whether it was to change for the better or for the worse was still in Erik's hands.

"I still don't know if I trust you, Charles," Erik stated softly, meeting Charles' eyes. The answer was right there, in the other man's gaze, as it had been the entire time. He knew the answer and he knew what he wanted out of this, he was just too afraid to go for it. He was afraid of being left alone again. Having Charles around had spoiled him as far as companionship goes. It would be like living in riches all your life and then being forced to live in squalor. Erik couldn't help but imagine Charles in that situation and, despite himself, he smiled a bit.

"Yes, I know," Charles' face sunk a bit; it was an odd switch while Erik smiled at his ironic metaphor, "I wish you could believe me when I said you can trust me, Erik, but I understand."

Erik stared at Charles' crestfallen face and thought back to a similar conversation they had the night they first met, when Charles pulled him out of the water.

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><p><em>Erik and Charles were alone in a small, cozy room aboard the ship. They had each been given a change of clothes and a towel to dry of with, which Erik was now using to dry his hair. He stubbornly refused to change clothes (having Charles warning him about colds and pneumonia didn't help), but Charles was helping himself.<em>

"_You really should consider changing, Erik," Charles said playfully, gesturing to the untouched pile of clothes one of the ship's crew members had left for Erik before pulling his own shirt on, "It's not fancy or anything, but at least it's dry. I won't look. Promise." He was merely trying to lighten the mood for the man after failing to kill the man, Shaw, he had been desperately trying to catch in a submarine only a few minutes before. Part of Charles felt horrible for stopping him, but he simply couldn't find it in himself to let someone drown if there was anything that could be done to stop it._

_Erik had stopped pacing and draped the towel around his shoulders. He glared at the man, Charles, who had just ruined his chances of killing the man who killed his mother those many years ago, the man who had personally seen to it that every moment of his life was a living hell full of experiments and tests and life-and-death situations that could only be stopped (momentarily) if he somehow tapped into the powers he hadn't yet learned to control. He knew that he would have died, but the current rage he felt was more overwhelming than gratitude for having his life saved, and he only had the emotional capacity for one at a time._

"_Just drop it," Erik spat. There were two reasons he didn't want to change in front of the man. One, he was simply stubborn and didn't want to accept any more help from people who would probably turn on him soon anyway. And two, he didn't want this stranger seeing the scars that covered the entire length of his body, or the numbers tattooed on his forearm._

"_Alright, Erik, just trying to lighten things up a bit. No need to get mad," Charles said, finally realizing that humor was getting him nowhere._

"_You could have died, too, you know? That was incredibly stupid."_

"_I couldn't just watch you drown. That would be incredibly inhuman of me."_

"_No, what's inhuman of you is to stop me from doing what I needed to do back there," Erik paused for a moment, "You were in my head. You know my name. You know why I'm here."_

"_Yes, like I said you have your tricks and I have mine," Charles watched as Erik leaned against the far wall, "And I'd actually like to talk to you about joining me. We both have a similar goal in mind."_

"_Shaw," Erik whispered the name, but the malice in his voice was more than crystal clear. He locked eyes with Charles, and his answer was clear. He knew he couldn't take down Shaw alone, and no matter how much he didn't want to accept help there really wasn't much of a choice at that point. "I don't trust you."_

"_Yes, Erik, I know you don't," Charles said, somehow sounding both firm and placid at the same time, "But I'm sure you will."_

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><p>Curiosity, Charles felt, was going to get the better of him soon if Erik didn't tell him what was on his mind, and this balancing act was starting to weigh him down. How much longer could he go on trying to tread the thin lines between gaining, and keeping, Erik's trust and ignoring the real issue while still trying to play coy and aloof? He felt like a silly school girl attempting to woo her crush by attempting several methods at once, all of which clashed horribly.<p>

Of course he understood Erik's standoffish demeanor, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated with it. It was all ineffective and childish. Two steps forward and one step back. They were getting nowhere fast, if anywhere at all.

"I know you get it, Charles, you don't have to keep saying that," Erik said irritably. He still had the look of a child with a secret that they both did and didn't want to tell.

Charles sat up straighter, brought his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his legs. "If you're afraid of thunder it's okay to tell me. I promise I won't laugh," Charles said lightheartedly with a smile, successfully earning a chuckle from the man in front of him.

"No, not exactly."

"Well what then? What is it that's so important you have to hide it from me? Who would I even tell?"

"You know what I have to hide," Erik's good humor faded instantly, the wall going back up. It seemed that every time Charles made any sort of a breakthrough with Erik, any time he made a crack in that wall of his, he repaired it just as quickly. But Charles knew better; Erik's fast "handiwork" at fixing himself back up was never as strong as whatever preceded it. All Charles had to do was keep working at the same spot for long enough and he would come around.

"Yes, I do, and who have I told so far about what's happened to you?" Charles pressed the matter.

Erik looked away, pouting like a child who knew the argument was over. "Nobody," he said after a short pause, as if trying to think of some way to back up his point to continue their never ending struggle.

"So why not tell me?" Charles leaned forward slightly, concern in his eyes, "Maybe I can help you. If nothing else you can get it off your chest, Erik." Erik looked at Charles out of the corner of his eye.

There was a very long pause. Silence dominated the air of the dimly lit library while Erik seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. He was looking everywhere in the library but at Charles, who was staring intently at the man whose eyes darted about trying not to stay in one place for too long.

Charles hated to think of Erik as if he were some sort of child, but his mannerisms were far too similar and it was hard not to. He hated, absolutely hated, to lose at something, whether it be his revenge against Shaw or a simple argument about why he was up in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. Sure, Charles had his faults and his weaknesses, but Erik was so determined to hide his from the rest of the world that it was weighing him down. His past was a constant burden on him, pulling him down at every opportunity, and Charles wanted him to let it out. If the man in front of him would just let him in, he knew that he could help. In fact, he was quite resolute in the fact that he wasn't going to give up until Erik did so.

Finally, Erik's eyes shot in Charles' direction, meeting his intent blue gaze. It was so sudden that Charles actually jumped slightly. The other man's eyes were intense, full of resolve and meaning.

"Erik?" Charles said, slow and barely more than a whisper. The look he was now receiving almost scared him.

"I don't like thunder, Charles, because…" Erik hesitated and his eyes darted around the room for a moment, his voice sounding louder than usual after the long silence, "Because it reminds me of my mother, okay." His last words sounded irritable, as if Charles had forced the answer out of him.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my friend," Charles empathized, "But I'm glad you shared with me." Charles knew the pain that Erik felt when he thought about his mother; he had been in Erik's head that night and knew when killing Shaw meant to him, to the memory of his murdered mother.

Erik nodded curtly, looking somewhat cross underneath his sadness. "It does feel better," he admitted.

Charles smiled and reached forward, placing a hand gently on Erik's shoulder. "Well I'll always be here for you. You know, if you want to share something. No judgment," Charles smiled softly at Erik, "Raven's taught me how to be a very good listener. The girl never shuts up."

There was another pause and, despite themselves and the solemn mood that pervaded the library, both men burst out laughing.

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><p>Well there you have it. If anybody would like to see anything specific happy or have this story go in a certain direction, I'm more than happy to take suggestions. Thanks for reading!<p> 


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